Certain refrigerator appliances include an ice maker. In order to produce ice, liquid water is directed to the ice maker and frozen. A variety of ice types can be produced depending upon the particular ice maker used. For example, certain ice makers include a mold body for receiving liquid water. An auger or ejector within the mold body can rotate and scrape ice off an internal surface of the mold body to form ice nuggets or cubes. Once ice is scraped off the mold body, it may be dispensed or directed outside of the refrigerator appliance. A user command may cause the refrigerator appliance to automatically dispense a selected or desired amount of ice.
Dispensing ice may pose certain challenges, though. For example, ice is generally stored within a bucket, and a guide channels the ice from the bucket to a container within a dispenser recess of an associated refrigerator appliance. Gravity generally urges the ice through the guide. In turn, the ice may be collected in a separate cup or container below the guide. However, ice may swirl within the guide as it is being dispensed, thereby gaining a non-vertical velocity component. As the ice exits the funnel at the dispenser recess, ice can thus “spray” in an undesirable pattern and miss the cup or container below the guide. In some instances, ice may ricochet or bounce outside of the cup or container. Some refrigerator appliances experience further difficulties channeling ice out of the dispenser. For example, ice may tend to accumulate or clump within the dispenser. Melting and/or friction bind multiple pieces of ice together, restricting the effective size or shape of the guide through which ice must pass. Thus, ice may block passage through the guide before it is able to reach the cup or container.
Accordingly, a refrigerator appliance with features for reducing the spray of ice at a dispenser of the refrigerator appliance would be useful. It would be advantageous if a refrigerator appliance additionally or alternatively included features for reducing the likelihood that ice would be blocked through the dispenser.